J M Baxi-CMA Terminals consortium bags tender for container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

J M Baxi Ports and Logistics, in consortium with French container shipping major CMA Terminals has bagged the tender to operate a private container terminal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) for 30 years.

The JNPCT bid is significant since it is part of the National Monetisation Pipeline, and is the first successful one in the port sector in recent years.

A Shipping Ministry official told ET that the fifth Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT) was awarded to the consortium quoting a winning bid price of over Rs. 4500 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU).

“The winning bid price is over twice the base price of Rs. 1800 per TEU. At least five other bidders had offered JNPA over Rs. 4000 per TEU to bag the rights to upgrade and operate the JNPCT,” the official said.

J M Baxi-CMA Terminals will now be free to charge consumers any rate for cargo movement from this terminal. JNPA will be offered the winning bid amount as a per TEU royalty payment.

JSW Infrastructure Ltd., Qatar-based Q Terminals, Hindustan Ports Private Ltd. (part of Dubai’s DP World), Luxembourg headquartered Terminal Investment Company Ltd., and Philippines-based International Container Terminal services Incorporation (ICTSI) were among the other qualified bidders.

Of the existing four private terminals at JNPA, two are run by DP World, and one each by PSA International (owned by the Singapore sovereign wealth fund) and APM Terminals (part of Danish maritime giant A.P. Moller-Maersk Group). Both APM Terminals and PSA International had put in bids for the recently awarded JNPCT.

ET